Three 6 Mafia had it right when they claimed that “It’s hard out here for a pimp.“ You see, it’s easy to be a ho. Teams like DC United, Chivas USA and New England they just lie there on the bottom and keep collecting people’s money. It’s hard to be the pimp. And over the first half of the MLS season the LA Galaxy have been the biggest pimps in this game. So it was quite interesting to see, not one, but two shocking results this week that the Galaxy directly contributed to.
The 4-1 CONCACAF Champions League match and the 5-2 All Star Game are the kind of results that could really impact LA’s season. Everyone knows that Bruce Arena has an ego the size of Carnie Wilson’s undergarments, but can even The Bruce rebound from what has to be one of the most embarrassing 24 hours of his career?
However there is an old basketball adage that if a team loses by 1 point it’s the coaches fault, but if a team loses by 10 points it is the players’ fault. The meaning of which revolves around the idea that coaches can make the small tweaks that win a close game, but if your team doesn’t even show up, there is nothing a coach can do short of suiting up and playing the game himself. (Is this why Bob Bradley wears track suits?)
So the question now appears to be, where does the blame lie when a team so full of talent and swagger loses big at home to a second division side in a very important regional tournament? I think the burden falls upon the players in the Galaxy loss to the Islanders. This is a Galaxy team whose depth has already been tested during the World Cup stretch and therefore are a squad that 1-25 should be ready to play whatever role is asked of them. So you can make the case that Arena perhaps should have started Gonzalez and Ricketts, yet there is no reason to believe that Leonardo and Saunders shouldn’t have been able to complete the task asked of them.
The blame lies with the players. I was there, and I watched as Eddie Lewis dropped his head and failed to run back to cover after giving the ball away in his own end in the second half. I was there, and watched as pass after simple pass failed to find their intended target. I was there, and watched as Leonardo headed the ball clear up the center of the field rather than away to the sidelines. These are mistakes no coach can take the blame for, especially when over the course of four months that same team has proven themselves capable of fixing every mistake made Tuesday night.
Now assessing blame in the All Star Game? That is a different matter entirely. I feel Bruce Arena made a number of poor choices which affected the outcome of the game. The principle of which was his starting defense.
However, at this point I find it unfortunately necessary to have to place this disclaimer: Yes, I know its an exhibition that doesn’t matter in the long term. I understand that. But my feeling is that if you are going to, as a league, schedule a game to showcase yourself then you should take it seriously. Not going-in-studs-up seriously but at least you should structure your team in the best possible way to be competitive.
Now back to the defense. If you are Bruce Arena and you just rested both your best defender in Omar Gonzalez and Goalkeeper in Donovan Ricketts for the Puerto Rico match the night before, they both made the trip to Houston, and both are going to play 45 minutes on the night, why wouldn’t you play them together? And likewise if you have Olave and Rimando both at your disposal why would you not pair them together as well for 45 minutes?
Arena instead went his own direction. The result of which was the worst flop in Houston since Tracy McGrady.
Enough with all this analysis, this is Hatin’ From Hollywood, shouldn’t there have been a dick joke by this point?
Sinkers and Floaters:
- Worst part about Manchester United Preseason tours in warm weather? Constant threat of catching glimpses of Sir Alex’s wrinkled bean bag due to short shorts.
- Don’t fear Tally Hall if your career as a goalkeeper doesn’t work out it looks like you have a great opportunity to work as a matador.
- Attention people that criticize LA’s attendance Tuesday night but don’t live here. You have no idea what getting to the HDC at 7:00 on a Tuesday requires from a human being. It’s the price we pay to live somewhere that matters in the world.
- Worst crime against eyeballs at the HDC Tuesday night was not committed on the field but in the seat next to me:
Seriously guy? You’re gonna wear Mandals in public? And not just Mandals but with Mandals with socks? And not just Mandals with socks, but Mandals with black socks. Why the black socks? Are those your church Mandals or something? Reserved for only your finest going out affairs? Attention “Oldies” the only acceptable sandals to be worn in public don’t have heel straps and definitely are never to be paired with foot hosiery.
From My Twitter Stream:
-Best thing about Ching goal? After scoring it, he acts like he’s been there before. No over celebration. Class…
-Hmmmm Donovan wearing light blue against Man U? Perhaps Don Garber is trying to hint subtly to Mancini…
-You can almost hear the All Stars thinking, “Oh, this is what pressuring the ball feels like.”
-Hey Bruce if you aren’t gonna start Omar tonight, can we go back in time and start him last night?
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